UCLA sophomore Jordan Adams said Zach LeVine reminded him of himself a year ago at this time, with his boundless energy and unknown reputation heading into his freshman season with the Bruins.

LaVine's debut Friday night against the Drexel Dragons at Pauley Pavilion didn't go quite as well as Adams' 21-point surprise off the bench in last season's opener.

But it was close. LaVine knocked in three 3-pointers and 14 points in 25 minutes in Friday's 72-67 win, leading all scorers in the first half. He also recorded three steals and two assists, with no turnovers.

"I was very impressed with Zach," guard/forward Kyle Anderson said after the win. "He made a couple freshman mistakes, but we just gotta help him out with that."

Adams, UCLA's leading scorer with 16 points Friday, said he and LaVine talk often about their similarities -- and how LaVine can exploit that into a breakout season like Adams did in 2012-2013.

The other major development from the season opener was Anderson's new, nearly-point-guard-exclusive positioning on the floor. The 6-foot-9 sophomore still managed to pull down a team-high 12 rebounds, but spent the vast majority of his time running the point. He did so less often under former coach Ben Howland.

"It feels very good to have the ball in my hands," Anderson said. "I feel like I make a lot of my teammates better. Whenever somebody’s working hard on the floor, I like to reward them, like I did today."

Said new coach Steve Alford: "The job of point guards is to control the ball, not make turnovers and make opportunities for the other players. Kyle Anderson did a great job with that and even hit the boards."

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